Street-car switch.



J. MATULAITIS.

STREET CAR SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3.191s.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

INVENTOR J oNA MATULPUT l 5.

BY am @1 2 If f! {g I ATTOR N EY era so FIfiE JONAS MATULAITIS, OFSCRANTONQPENNSYLVANIA.

STREET-CAR SWITCH.

' Application filed May 3, 1313.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jonas MATULAITIS, a citizen of Russia, residing atScranton, county of Lackawanna, and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Street-Car Switches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railway devices and has as itsspecial object the provision of means, operable from a car, by which aswitch point or tongue, may be operated in either direction so as tocause the car to traverse along the main track or be diverted to abranch or siding.

A further object is to provide means, carried by and readily operablefrom the car without dismounting therefrom.

These and other like objects are attained by the novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanyingdrawing, forming a material part of this specification, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing a section of track and carthereon.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a front view partially in section illustrating the applicationof the invention, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a conventional type of car, 11and 11' the running rails thereof, and 12 and 12' the switch pointsrespectively, the same resting upon the ties in the ordinary manner. I

Adjacent to the switch is a casing, the lower flange 14 of which issecured to the ties, the upper flange 15 being connected integrallythereto by a vertical element 16. This casing is preferably formed witha V shaped front 17 so as to guide the operating means in a manner whichwill be farther on described.

The switch points 12 and 12 are connected near their front end with arigid transverse bar 20 which has secured to it angle irons 21 arrangedin opposed pairs, the inner faces of the angle irons having riveted tothem vertically positioned longitudinal bars 22 and 22, the sameextending toward the front and being engaged between the elements 14 and15 of the eas- Specification of Letters 2atent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Serial No. 232,330.

ing, being pivoted therebetween, upon pins 23 and 23 as best shown inFig. 1.

Secured upon the floor of the car 10, in the forward motormanscompartment, is a bracket 25 in which, pivoted upon the pins 26, arelevers 27 having extending operating handles 28, and engaged by pins 30are depending bars 31 and 31 the same extending downward through thefloor of the car.

Secured to the bars 31 and 31' are outstanding lugs 32 adapted, when ina raised position, to be supported by the fiat ends of plates 33pivotally secured to the bottom of the car by pins 34, and having fingergrips 35 at their opposite ends for turning the flat portion or ends ofthe plates 33 underneath of the lugs 32 for locking the bars 31 and 31or unlocking the same when the ends of the plates 33 are turned awayfrom underneath of the lugs 32.

At the end of the car below the floor is a rigid support 38, havingoutwardly projecting wing-like elements 40, their lower surfaces beingbeveled and adapted to make contact with projections 42 and 42' rigidlyengaged with the bars 31 and 31 the upper portion of the elements 42 and42 being also beveled to make contact with the outstanding wings, sothat when raised they are caused to separate, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The bars 31 and 3-1 are normally constrained toward the rigid support 38by means of coiled tension springs 43 between the respective bars, whileat the extreme lower end of the bars 31 and 31' are journaled rollers4-4 and 44' upon vertical axes and arranged so that their peripheriescan make contact with the outer surface of the bars 22 and 22.

In operation, the switch being positioned as shown in Fig. 1, and it isdesired to direct the car to the siding, it is necessary to move theswitch point 12 out of engagement with the rail 11, and move theoppositely disposed switch point 12 toward the rail 11 which isaccomplished in the following manner. The plates 33 being removed, thehandle 28 is depressed as in Fig. 3, lowering the bar 31, so that theroller 44' comes in contact with the vertically disposed bar 22, thespring 43 acting to move the bars laterally and hence move the cross bar20, connected with the switch points, so as to allow the car to enterupon the siding and it will be obvious that by operating the lever, suchresult may be obtained.

These devices can be applied at each end of the car, so that when movingin either direction the switches may be thrown in the proper manner bythe person in charge of the car.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

In a device for the operation of a railway switch from a moving car, thecombination of a bracket secured to the bottom of the car, leverspivotally secured in said bracket operating handles on said levers,vertical bars secured to said levers and passed through the car bottom,outstanding lugs secured to the outer sides of said bars, locking platespivotally secured to the car bottom near said bars adapted to be turnedin and out of engagement underneath of said lugs, a rigid supportsecured to the lower face of the car bottom, outwardly projectingbeveled wings on the lower ends of said supports, inwardly directedbeveled projections on said bars below the bottom of said car, adaptedto contact with said beveled parts of the wings, springs for normallyconst *aining said bars toward said support, and rollers journaled tothe lower extremities of said bars and adapted to operate the points ofa switch.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

J ONAS MATULAITIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

